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Out of Our Minds 25th Anniversary Edition: The Power of Being Creative
‘Sir Ken Robinson shared with us that children are not problems to be fixed, but wonders to be cultivated. He was a beloved friend and a fearless advocate for human potential envisioning a world where children can grow and thrive. This book continues to be an inspiration.’
Goldie Hawn
‘Words that I know to be true, still ringing in my ears for the last 20 years. And now as a mother, more than ever. I hope for the sanity of the planet one day his dream will become the norm.’
Imogen Heap
“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”
- Sir Ken Robinson
Widely recognised as one of the most inspirational books on the importance of creativity and its necessity, not just in education and business, but in society, Out of Our Minds is a masterclass in human potential.
Sir Ken Robinson, who sadly passed away in 2020, was an internationally recognised leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources and a New York Times bestselling author. His Ted talk ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity?’ is the most viewed Ted talk of all time with over 80 million views.
Out of Our Minds challenges misconceptions that only special people are creative or that creativity applies only to the arts. The book shows how the rigid academic hierarchy – with mathematics at the top, arts at the bottom – wastes enormous talent. Drawing on examples from Fortune 500 companies and schools worldwide, it demonstrates how standardized testing prevents creative development.
Now with the help of Sir Ken’s daughter, Kate, Out of Our Minds has been updated in this special 25th Anniversary edition which also
How artificial intelligence and rapid technological change make creativity essential for personal security and economic prosperity, not a luxury Why neurodiversity awareness demands education systems that accommodate different ways of thinking rather than requiring conformity through medication Practical strategies for leading cultures of innovation in organizations, moving beyond performative training days to systemic transformation The case for transforming – not merely reforming – education to help individuals discover their unique talents and lead meaningful lives
Essential reading for educators, business leaders, managers, parents, and policy makers, Out of Our Minds provides the framework needed to create systems that develop rather than suppress human creative potential. In an era of accelerating change, this book offers a radically different approach to human intelligence.
Goldie Hawn
‘Words that I know to be true, still ringing in my ears for the last 20 years. And now as a mother, more than ever. I hope for the sanity of the planet one day his dream will become the norm.’
Imogen Heap
“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”
- Sir Ken Robinson
Widely recognised as one of the most inspirational books on the importance of creativity and its necessity, not just in education and business, but in society, Out of Our Minds is a masterclass in human potential.
Sir Ken Robinson, who sadly passed away in 2020, was an internationally recognised leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources and a New York Times bestselling author. His Ted talk ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity?’ is the most viewed Ted talk of all time with over 80 million views.
Out of Our Minds challenges misconceptions that only special people are creative or that creativity applies only to the arts. The book shows how the rigid academic hierarchy – with mathematics at the top, arts at the bottom – wastes enormous talent. Drawing on examples from Fortune 500 companies and schools worldwide, it demonstrates how standardized testing prevents creative development.
Now with the help of Sir Ken’s daughter, Kate, Out of Our Minds has been updated in this special 25th Anniversary edition which also
How artificial intelligence and rapid technological change make creativity essential for personal security and economic prosperity, not a luxury Why neurodiversity awareness demands education systems that accommodate different ways of thinking rather than requiring conformity through medication Practical strategies for leading cultures of innovation in organizations, moving beyond performative training days to systemic transformation The case for transforming – not merely reforming – education to help individuals discover their unique talents and lead meaningful lives
Essential reading for educators, business leaders, managers, parents, and policy makers, Out of Our Minds provides the framework needed to create systems that develop rather than suppress human creative potential. In an era of accelerating change, this book offers a radically different approach to human intelligence.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2026
About the author
Ken Robinson
52 books1,697 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of innovation and human resources. He has worked with national governments in Europe and Asia, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, national and state education systems, non-profit corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. They include the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the Royal Ballet, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the European Commission, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the J Paul Getty Trust and the Education Commission of the States. From 1989 - 2001, he was Professor of Arts Education at the University of Warwick.
Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of innovation and human resources. He has worked with national governments in Europe and Asia, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, national and state education systems, non-profit corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. They include the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the Royal Ballet, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the European Commission, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the J Paul Getty Trust and the Education Commission of the States. From 1989 - 2001, he was Professor of Arts Education at the University of Warwick.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 16, 2026
After more than thirty years as an educator, I've come to rely on certain books to rekindle what I believe: that children have an astonishing capacity for creativity, and that they deserve ample opportunity to use it. Out of Our Minds is one of those books. This fourth edition keeps intact all of Sir Ken Robinson's historical stories—the ones that question what education should look like and make the case for keeping creativity alive and thriving in our schools.
It preserves Robinson's thinking on the world's prevailing beliefs about education, intelligence, and creativity, while adding material written after his death in 2020 by his daughter, Kate—updates that account for how dramatically our world has changed since the previous edition appeared in 2017.
One story stays with me. Robinson describes a promotion committee weighing the case of an English lecturer who had written three novels and a television series, all nationally recognized, but had published only two papers in conventional research journals. The committee hesitated—the creative work was "interesting," but was it research? Robinson's point cuts deeper than one man's promotion: we've built systems that recognize knowledge only when it takes the narrow, propositional form of the journal article, while dismissing the novel, the painting, the performance as something lesser. Why do we insist on defining intelligence so narrowly—and what do we lose when we do?
The additions Robinson himself might have made had he lived—a global pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence—are handled with care, but it's in the treatment of neurodiversity where Kate's voice shines. She weaves in new statistics, laws, and needed reforms to support our growing ADHD and neurodiverse population, carrying forward the same conviction her father brought to every page. "Rather than demanding conformity," she writes, "we should be promoting diversity in all its forms." The line could stand as the thesis of the whole book—and it lands with particular force now, when so many children are finally being understood rather than simply corrected.
This book matters not only for those who work with children, but for anyone who recognizes that our systems too often suppress the very thing the world most needs—creative people with the capacity to make it better. Robinson was right: creativity can be learned, and it must be, for the sake of all our futures. Whether you're new to Robinson's work or returning to it, this is the edition to own.
It preserves Robinson's thinking on the world's prevailing beliefs about education, intelligence, and creativity, while adding material written after his death in 2020 by his daughter, Kate—updates that account for how dramatically our world has changed since the previous edition appeared in 2017.
One story stays with me. Robinson describes a promotion committee weighing the case of an English lecturer who had written three novels and a television series, all nationally recognized, but had published only two papers in conventional research journals. The committee hesitated—the creative work was "interesting," but was it research? Robinson's point cuts deeper than one man's promotion: we've built systems that recognize knowledge only when it takes the narrow, propositional form of the journal article, while dismissing the novel, the painting, the performance as something lesser. Why do we insist on defining intelligence so narrowly—and what do we lose when we do?
The additions Robinson himself might have made had he lived—a global pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence—are handled with care, but it's in the treatment of neurodiversity where Kate's voice shines. She weaves in new statistics, laws, and needed reforms to support our growing ADHD and neurodiverse population, carrying forward the same conviction her father brought to every page. "Rather than demanding conformity," she writes, "we should be promoting diversity in all its forms." The line could stand as the thesis of the whole book—and it lands with particular force now, when so many children are finally being understood rather than simply corrected.
This book matters not only for those who work with children, but for anyone who recognizes that our systems too often suppress the very thing the world most needs—creative people with the capacity to make it better. Robinson was right: creativity can be learned, and it must be, for the sake of all our futures. Whether you're new to Robinson's work or returning to it, this is the edition to own.
August 24, 2026
Sir Ken Robinson is my all-time favourite educationalist and this book does not disappoint. Updated by his daughter Katie, this is a modernised version of a vitally important piece of literature. While a good portion of the work discusses the ways in which we as a society systematically drain the creativity of our children - it is ultimately a book of hope, and I truly feel it is a must read for anyone interested in the impact of neoliberal structures and the social sciences as a whole.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews